Walnut Creek, CA
Walnut Creek is located in the center of the East Bay, inland from the Berkeley hills and at the base of Mt. Diablo. Walnut Creek is easy to get to by car or BART as there is a BART stop on the edge of downtown and the edge of Pleasant Hill near a small shopping plaza with great restaurants.
Eat/Drink
Main Street Kitchen & Bar- Popular local sit down restaurant.
Morucci's- Popular local Italian deli/sandwich shop. There is almost always a line out the door from 11-1, but people always wait in it because it is worth it.
Lettuce- Popular sandwich and salad spot for lunch or dinner. We are regulars here.
Katy's Kreek- popular breakfast/brunch spot. Usually a wait on the weekend in the morning.
Farmer's market- every Sunday 9-1 near downtown & walkable from BART.
The Rooftop Restaurant & Bar- Only rooftop bar in Walnut Creek, conveniently located in central downtown.
Bourbon Highway- Country bar & restaurant with corn hole outside and beer pong & line dancing upstairs at night.
Downtown
Downtown Walnut Creek also has a movie theater, performing arts center, and outdoor mini golf.
Hike/Walk/Bike
The most popular spot is Shell Ridge. Shell Ridge is easily accessible and easy to customize to your hiking needs with over 30 miles of trails. You can even hike into Mt. Diablo state park and to the top of the mountain from the park. There are also ponds in the spring and spots for kids to play with rocks by Sutherland Entrance or visit animals at the Old Borges Ranch entrance.
The Iron Horse Trail is a paved trail connecting the east bay, running parallel to I-680. It connects to many other paved trails that can help you get to other parts of the east bay. These trails are mostly used for biking and walking or running.
Parks
Heather Farms- a 5-10 minute drive from downtown or 2-3 mile walk on the Iron Horse Trail from down town. This park has a playground, baseball fields, gardens, ponds, tennis courts, aquatic center, and across the street are about 10 restaurants to eat at or Sports Basement to buy gear or toys from.
Civic Park- located in downtown this park has green space to picnic on, playgrounds to play on, a gazebo, the public library next to it (cleaner bathrooms & water refills), and a larger grass space in the back where people often let their dogs run or play sports.
Walden Park- about 1 mile from downtown. This park has a play structure to play on, basketball courts, a bathroom, fountains, and grass to picnic on. This park also connects directly to the Iron Horse trail. Be careful as you walk through though as there is also a disc golf course here.
Where to stay
There are many hotels near downtown and air b&b or VRBO homes.
Day trips
Walnut Creek is conveniently located about an hour away from everything in the Bay Area.
Berkeley/Emeryville- 20-30 minute drive or BART ride.
San Francisco- 35 minute BART ride to the Embarcadero & about the same time to drive. to the Embarcadero.
Marin Headlands/Golden Gate Bridge- about 1 hour drive through the city or around through Marin
Point Reyes- about 1.5 hour drive
Napa/Sonoma- 1-1.5 hour drive depending on traffic & where going
Livermore (wine tasting)- about 45 minute drive
Santa Cruz Beach- hour to hour and a half drive
Pacifica- hour drive to the beach. This beach has the Taco Bell Cantina on it & is a great dog beach to walk along. In August they host the World Dog Surfing Competition.
Davis/Sacramento- 1-1.5 hour drive depending on traffic. You could take the train to Davis/Sacramento from Martinez or Emeryville.
If you're wondering how far the it is to other famous but further places see estimated driving times below and guides for some of the places.
North
-Bodega Bay- 1.5-2 hours
-Redding- 3 hours
-Lake Tahoe/Reno,NV- 3-4 hours depending on traffic
-Mendocino/Fort Bragg- about 3.5 hours
-Mt. Shasta- 4 hours
-Eureka- 4 hours
South
-Monterey- about 2 hours
-Big Sur- about 2.5-3 hours
-San Luis Obispo- 3.5 hours (1 hour fly)
-Santa Barbara- 4.5-5 hours (1 hour fly)
-Los Angeles- 5-6 hours (1 hr 10 min fly)
-Orange County- 6-7 hours (1 hr 10 min fly)
-San Diego- 8 hours (1 hr 20 min fly)
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